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Thursday, February 2, 2017

More Immigration Security

This an article I wrote on January 13, 2017.

I try to not get too political on this website. Guns are political enough, right? But I have to say some things about immigration. I’ve lived in a border town before and I saw first-hand what illegal immigration is all about and what the wonderful people of CBP and Border Patrol are up against. I have friends in both Border Patrol and Customs and they talk a lot about OTM’s. They categorize people into two categories From Mexico or Mexican, and OTM (other than Mexican).
On December 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany a Tunisian man drove his truck into a crowd at an outdoor Christmas market killing 12 and injuring dozens.
He was a refugee from Tunisia and that has revived a bitter debate about security and immigration, with Chancellor Angela Merkel facing calls to clamp down after allowing more than a million newcomers into Germany in the past two years.
Merkel, who will run for a fourth term next year, has said it would be particularly repugnant if a refugee seeking protection in Germany was the perpetrator. Well I guess it is repugnant. He was a refugee that was not vetted. I am all for this country letting in immigrants. But there are laws that must be followed. I know the process is a pain in the butt, any dealings with government is like that, but it’s no excuse for illegals who want to stay for whatever reason. In Germany opening their borders let in a terrorist that killed 12 citizens.
The U.S. borders must be sealed. We must make sure that immigrants, refugees, or just those who want to visit, are safe to be here.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am not a racist. I am not against religious freedom. But in 2016 the U.S. admitted the highest number of Muslim refugees than any year that has been kept track of.
The vetting process in 2015 was extensive although I’m not sure that questions about ideology and extremist views that do not match American views, are ever asked. President Obama wanted to change the time it took a refugee to get into the U.S. from 18-24 months to 3. I don’t know if that came to pass but perhaps 3 months was more realistic than 24.
I hope the process is still as extensive as it was. I wish that a few of those 7 interviews in that process asked about extremist views and whether the refugee would follow U.S. law. Sharia law is the opposite of U.S. law and I’d like a refugee to say the words. Sure they could lie, but if ever caught doing the opposite of U.S. law, extremist ideology, they would be additionally accountable for the lie they told to get into this country. It’s just a simple straight forward question. I don’t think that is too much to ask from ANY refugee, not just Muslims.
I am not anti-Muslim. But by the Koran violence is indeed a part of the religion of peace. I have a hard time with those that pick and choose which beliefs they will subscribe to and which they will not. I realize that everyone, including myself, are not perfect in their religion, but the Bible does not speak of what I should do to those who do not believe in Christianity. I know what the Old Testament says about Mosaic law. I also believe that Christ did fulfill that law and give us a higher law.
The immigration and refugee situation is emotionally charged. I believe we should proceed with caution and keep security in mind at all times. Being politically correct in Germany netted them 12 dead German citizens. We know it can happen here because it has.
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The above article I wrote on January 13, 2017 the travel bans was the 27th. I was hesitant to post it but feel, in light of the controversy, it applies even more today than about a month ago.

President Trumps ban is not without precedent. Chinese were banned in 1800’s.
This a portion of a State of The Union speech President Clinton gave in 1996:
“But there are some areas that the federal government must address directly and strongly. One of these is the problem of illegal immigration. After years and years of neglect, this administration has taken a strong stand to stiffen protection on our borders.
We are increasing border controls by 50%; we are increasing inspections to prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants. And tonight, I announce I will sign an executive order to deny federal contracts to businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Let me be clear: we are still a nation of immigrants; we honor all those immigrants who are working hard to become new citizens. But we are also a nation of laws.”
Sounds a lot like President Trump, not President Clinton.
Then in 1980 President Carter banned Iranians. Following the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, during which the US embassy in Tehran was stormed and 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, President Carter cut diplomatic relations with and imposed sanctions on Iran. That’s when the ban happened.
Remember what we felt like after 9-11? We were all patriotic. We supported the military and law enforcement. Conservatives and liberals voted to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. We all felt justified. What happened to that feeling? We came together and our security was more important than anything. Now, someone talks about immigration and following laws and trying to make sure anyone coming into this country is safe, and some are up in arms. Racists! Xenophobes! Fraidy cats! It’s pretty crazy that this silly attitude changes with the wind.
I’m not a big Trump fan. I think his administration is making some mistakes but for the most part, I don’t have any heartburn with their actions. But then again I’m a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot!” as the quote from the movie “9 to 5” goes. I am a conservative, not a republican, a conservative. So I’m also a “gun-totin', redneck son-of-a-b****” as a quote from the T.V. series The West Wing goes. I’ve also been called a racist, a homophobe, and other things I can’t print here. I guess I’m whatever anyone thinks I am.
President Trump may be a little unrefined, crude and rude, but so far, like I said, his policies are good.
We will have to see.
Semper Paratus
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